How to stop ISP throttling for good

Whenever you’re engaging in data-hungry internet activities, like streaming or torrenting, excellent speed is of the essence. It directly affects how smooth your online experience is, and many people specifically pick Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that offer lightning-fast internet for this reason.

But have you ever noticed that everything doesn’t load as fast as supposed to? Or suspicious dips in speeds whenever you’re trying to torrent or even game online? Well, you may be another victim of internet throttling.

Even if you’re paying for superb or even unlimited bandwidth, ISPs don’t have to actually stay true to their word. If you read the fine print carefully, you’ll find that they can actually be surprisingly flexible with your internet. Unfair? Yes. Exceptionally scummy, even? Moreso, especially when you consider how expensive a good internet plan is.

So, let’s dig deeper into this issue. We’ll discuss what exactly is internet throttling, how to notice if it’s happening to you, and how to put an end to it for good.

What is internet throttling?

Internet throttling is when your ISP purposely slows down your internet connection. It’s usually done to avoid network congestion, especially if the provider has many clients. The most typical online activities that usually result in throttling are such bandwidth-heavy ones as torrenting, streaming, online gaming, and such. However, there are effective ways to go around it.

Is ISP throttling legal?

Internet throttling is not generally part of the contracts signed between customers and ISPs. So when people ask “Is ISP throttling legal?,” the answer is unclear. And it greatly depends on where you live. For example, ISPs based in countries that are part of the EU have to adhere to this Open Internet Regulation rule:

“ISPs are prohibited from blocking or slowing down of internet traffic, except where necessary. The exceptions are limited to: traffic management to comply with a legal order, to ensure network integrity and security, and to manage exceptional or temporary network congestion, provided that equivalent categories of traffic are treated equally.”

When it comes to the US, however, bandwidth throttling is perfectly legal since 2017 and providers won’t be punished by law for doing so. So, basically, ISPs are free to throttle your internet whenever they feel like it and sometimes without fair reasons, too. Even when the generally accepted rules governing access to the internet (the Open Internet Rules) suggest that discriminating between web users and limiting bandwidth is unfair and illegal.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) tested this principle in Comcast Corp. v. FCC back in 2007 and the ISP was found to be unlawfully limiting web connections. But throttling still happens to manage data flows, whether it’s legal or not, and changes to Net Neutrality rules seem set to make it standard practice. But just because it’s deemed a-okay, doesn’t mean you can’t do something to stop this unfair practice.

Why is my ISP throttling my connection?

So why are ISPs so keen to implement this controversial practice? Firstly, it’s important to note that not all ISPs have confirmed that they restrict bandwidth, and not all do so. It’s definitely bad PR to be unmasked as a “throttler” when you promise “unlimited” data packages, so many ISPs still keep it at a distance.

When throttling is used, there could be a number of motivations. From one perspective, sometimes ISPs simply want to keep their networks as efficient as possible. By operating firm restrictions for heavy data users, they can avoid bandwidth congestion and keep speeds high for others at a lower cost. As such, this usually concerns frequent torrenters and streaming enthusiasts.

But there might be other reasons. For instance, ISPs might want to limit access to streaming sites like Netflix until users have paid them a fee to use them. Or they may wish to divert users onto premium tariffs. And there can be law enforcement reasons too. Instead of prosecuting individuals for illegal file-sharing or streaming, authorities may find it easier to make sharing services harder to use by tracking and blocking torrenting activities.

How to tell if ISP is throttling your internet

One of the annoying things about internet throttling is the mystery that surrounds it. For ordinary web users, massive drops in performance can come out of the blue and ruin their online experience. Thankfully, it’s possible to tell if an ISP is throttling the internet, and you don’t need to be an expert engineer.

Here are three ways to check if your ISP is throttling your connection:

• Run an ISP throttling test. To do so, you can download a bandwidth meter at SpeedTest.net. These tools run time-limited speed assessments which show peaks and troughs and can indicate suspicious restrictions.
  
• Run a video streaming test. Google offers a Video Quality Report, which lets you know how fast videos are streaming via your ISP.
• Run a torrenting speed test. You have to download a speed test torrent from BTGuard VPN, which is a Linux installation file. If the speed is less than what you’d expect, most likely the issue is either on your side or the ISPs.

The key is to measure your connection speeds regularly and over a sustained period. Data points from 5-7 days in a row will provide a clear answer to whether your ISP is throttling your connection.

Is your ISP throttling torrents? Ways to find out

To start with, you’ll need a baseline download speed, and you can get this from SpeedTest.net. Now, start a test download in your client. Pick something popular and legal – a Linux build should do. Watch the download closely – if the speed reaches your baseline download speed – your ISP isn’t throttling your connection (or at least your torrents aren’t being singled out).

Check how fast the torrent “accelerates” to top speed as well. If it takes 10 minutes or more, a subtle kind of ISP throttling torrents could be in operation.

What about Netflix? Can I tell if my ISP is limiting streaming speeds?

BitTorrent throttling isn’t the only thing to worry about. Some ISPs have also started to target completely legitimate streaming services. For example, you may find your ISP throttling Netflix if you go above certain download limits. But how can you detect this?

For that, Netflix has its speed test at Fast.com that shows your connection quality with their servers. You can compare the results with the ones from your regular speed test and see if there’s anything to complain about.

What’s more, Netflix publishes its ISP Speed Index that shows the average speeds of different providers in the world. As of May 2023, the fastest ISP in the US was Comcast with 3.8 Mbps, while CenturyLink managed only a 3.2 Mbps.

As always, it might not be deliberate throttling, but if your numbers are significantly lower, there’s a good chance your ISP is targeting your Netflix connection.

How to stop the ISP from throttling your connection with a VPN

The quickest and easiest way to prevent ISP throttling is with a Virtual Private Network, or VPN for short. These tools encrypt all your internet traffic, essentially hiding your activities from your Internet Service Provider.

VPNs are a great solution to stop ISP throttling because they make it very hard for ISPs to link data packets to your account. So, in theory, you can use a good VPN to use P2P, YouTube, or Netflix as much as you like without speed limitations since these activities can’t be traced by the ISP.

Not all VPNs are effective, though, so it helps to run through a few standouts which tend to get the job done.

Best VPNs to prevent ISP throttling

Our top recommendations stop ISP throttling in its tracks with top-of-the-line encryption methods. These VPN also come with robust security toolkits that keep your activities hidden even if the encrypted connection suddenly drops. We also only suggest those with superb speeds, versatile toolkits, extensive device support, and user-friendly applications to make everything much easier.

A subscription to any one of them is a guaranteed farewell to ISP bandwidth throttling:

1. NordVPN – the best VPN to stop ISP throttling
2. Surfshark VPN – secure VPN with unlimited simultaneous connections
3. ExpressVPN – performance-focused VPN with great connectivity
4. CyberGhost – versatile VPN with servers for P2P, streaming, and gaming

ISP bandwidth throttling: quick video guide

Full speed ahead

ISP bandwidth throttling is, unfortunately, becoming a fact of life for web users worldwide. Even if you’re putting down good money to get the best speeds possible, the internet provider doesn’t have to fulfill their end of the bargain. And to add salt to injury, if it’s legal in your country, you can’t really take legal action to stop these companies from essentially robbing you.

You’re not completely powerless, though. Carry out throttling tests and educate yourself about how to tell if your ISP is throttling your connection, and invest in a robust VPN capable of preventing such practices, like NordVPN. Something so little can really turn things around, letting you enjoy the internet at full speed.

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What is a VPN
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Should you leave a VPN on all the time
How to change location with a VPN

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